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Today we are honored to have a guest post by Fitness & lifestyle coach Neghar Fonooni.

People often ask me what my #1 tip for getting shape is, and I used to find it difficult to answer that question. How can I give just one tip?! There are so many important building blocks to a fit, happy lifestyle.

But the truth is, with a myriad of fitness intentions, starting points, and circumstances, there’s really no “best way” to get into shape, as the path can vary greatly from person to person. There is, however, one thing that universally will lead to sustainable results, regardless of style, duration, intensity, or load. It has nothing to do with how you choose to be active or how heavy you lift. It’s all about consistency.

This is the most important step towards living a fit lifestyle, because not only does consistent movement spur a desire for more movement, but consistent inactivity doesn’t inspire movement either–overcoming the inertia to move after being inactive requires far too much effort. Sporadic inactivity usually leads to perpetual inactivity, until before you know it, you haven’t worked out in 4 weeks and you feel awful.

Remember Newton’s first law of motion: objects in motion stay in motion. Essentially, the more you exercise, the more you’ll want to exercise. Stay in motion, no matter what, and working out will become a habit, not an obligation.

Regardless of travel, work projects, studying, kids and family obligations, it’s imperative that we stay consistent with our fitness efforts. By exercising daily, you’ll increase energy, immunity, release more dopamine and serotonin, and add positively to your overall well-being. But does that mean you have to dedicate 1-2 hours of exercise every single day in order to thrive? Absolutely not!

You might be thinking to yourself, I don’t have time to exercise everyday! You’ve got so many things on your plate that the idea of fitting in exercise just seems like more stress than it’s worth. But you can fit it in, and here’s how:

By letting go of the idea that a workout should last a certain amount of time.

I was discussing this very issue with two of my best girlfriends who constantly lament their lack of time and woefully inform me of their bouts of inactivity. One of them has recently finished grad school and started a demanding new job, the other is working full time and going to nursing school at night. They’re drained from the hustle, and I can totally relate. So I asked them, after a series of questions on their schedules, can you wake up 5 minutes earlier than you normally would?

Obviously, yes, they could. “Good,” I said. “Tomorrow you’ll get up 5 minutes earlier and do 5 sets of 20 kettlebell swings, every minute, on the minute.”

Puzzled, my friends asked, “Is that really going to do anything?”

And they aren’t alone in that thought. We’ve been programmed to believe that a workout has to be long in order to be worth it—that we have to spend hours at the gym in order to see results. But isn’t a short workout better than no workout at all? And don’t you think that exercising 5 minutes every day will lead to prioritizing movement, and gradually finding more time to dedicate to workouts?

The truth is that efficiency is far more important than duration when it comes to making exercise a fluid part of your life, and efficiency has nothing to do with how long you’re able to workout. It’s all about how well you make use of that limited amount of time. Only have 5 minutes? Great! Work as hard as you possibly can in those 5 minutes. Knowing how to maximize your time and being willing to ramp up the intensity of your workouts will allow you to stay consistent no matter how much a time crunch you’re in.

Now, are 5-minute workouts a long-term solution? Of course not. But when push comes to shove, getting in a quickie will never be something you regret. In fact, the simple act of moving will often inspire more movement, and little by little you’ll find the time to prioritize workouts. Letting go of the idea that a workout has to be a certain length of time will allow you to approach exercise in a more adaptable manner, ensuring that fitness doesn’t take over your life, and instead integrates seamlessly into a full, happy lifestyle.

For ideas on how to have a great workout in 10 minutes or less, check out my Quickie series on YouTube.

These quickies are fun, simple, and a total sweat sesh. You can use them as a full workout or as a post-workout finisher. You can even adjust the work to rest ratios or sets in order to make the workout fit into your timeframe and skill level. But remember, quality is always the first priority, so movement always needs to be safe in order to be effective.

For this KB Quickie, all you need is one kettlebell. We’ll be doing 2 combination exercises:

This full body quickie workout takes 2 minutes per round. You’ll perform each exercise for 30 seconds per side, and ultimately do as many rounds as you have time for. Be safe and move quickly, but most of all, have fun!

Check out Neghar’s Lean & lovely Program

A Los Angeles native with 14 years experience in the fitness industry, Neghar believes that a positive mindset is the most important aspect of a fit lifestyle. Through this website and her social media platforms, she teaches women how to embrace their bodies and enrich their lives with food and exercise. Neghar is a contributing blogger to several sites, including My Fitness Pal and Schwarzanegger.com, and is the author of the 12-week total transformation system, Lean & Lovely.

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